No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any public highway unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping therefrom, except that sand may be dropped for the purpose of securing traction.

A 2″ x 4″ or wrench can spell trouble for a car or be fatal for a motorcycle rider. Particularly if it comes lose on the highway. Case in point when a toolbox dropped on I-5 recently:

Northbound Interstate 5 at Exit 231 in Burlington was temporarily shut down Wednesday while the State Patrol investigated a one-motorcycle accident.

Trooper Travis Shearer said it appeared the motorcycle slid along the highway after colliding with a toolbox that had fallen off a vehicle.

A man and a woman who were on the motorcycle were taken to the hospital. The extent of their injuries were not known.

In a case like this it should be easy (or at least possible) to identify the owner of the toolbox and make a claim. But even if the owner of the toolbox cannot be identified, the motorcycle rider and passenger can make what’s called a “phantom vehicle” claim under the uninsured motorist coverage of their own insurance policy.